title: Burden of respiratory viruses in patients with acute respiratory failure.
abstract: Respiratory viruses (RVs) are ubiquitous pathogens that represent a major cause of community-acquired pneumonia and chronic pulmonary diseases exacerbations. However, their contribution to acute respiratory failure events requiring intensive care unit admission in the era of rapid multiplex molecular assay deserves further evaluation. This study investigated the burden of viral infections in non immunocompromised patients admitted to the intensive care unit for acute respiratory failure using a multiplex molecular assay. Patients were investigated for RVs using immunofluoresence testing and a commercial multiplex molecular assay, and for bacteria using conventional culture. Half the patients (34/70, 49%) had a documented RVs infection. No other pathogen was found in 24 (71%) patients. Viral infection was detected more frequently in patients with obstructive respiratory diseases (64% vs. 29%; P = 0.0075). Multiplex molecular assay should be considered as an usefull diagnostic tool in patients admitted to the intensive care unit with acute respiratory failure, especially those with acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma.
authors.affiliation: Medical ICU, AP-HP, Hôpital Saint-Louis, Paris, France; Paris-Diderot University, UFR de Médecine, Paris, France.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schnell
authors.forename: Maud
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gits-Muselli
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Canet
authors.forename: Virginie
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lemiale
authors.forename: Benoît
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schlemmer
authors.forename: François
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Simon
authors.forename: Elie
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Azoulay
authors.forename: Jérôme
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Legoff
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000302:isolation & purification; D060085:Coinfection / Q000150:complications / Q000382:microbiology / Q000821:virology; D005260:Female; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D060885:Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000821:virology*; D014777:Virus Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000821:virology; D014780:Viruses / Q000145:classification* / Q000302:isolation & purification*
keywords: acute respiratory failure; pneumonia; polymerase chain reaction assay; respiratory viruses